CSNPhilly reported yesterday that, following defenseman Mark Howe’s induction into the Hockey Hall of Fame, his jersey number (#2) will be retired during the March 6 meeting between the Philadelphia Flyers and the Detroit Red Wings.
Howe is considered the benchmark defenseman in Flyers history, having been nominated for the Norris Trophy three times during his ten seasons in Philadelphia. He holds the franchise record for most points in a season by a defenseman with 82 (24 goals and 58 assists), earned during the 1985-86 season in which he also finished with a +85 rating.
Howe finished his career as a Red Wing following the 1991-92 season, playing for the team that his father Gordie embodied during his career. Despite playing in the Stanley Cup Finals no less than three times in his career, he never won the most coveted trophy in sports.
Howe was inducted to the Flyers Hall of Fame in 2001 and the US Hockey Hall of Fame in 2003, but the discussion over whether it made sense to retire Howe’s number didn’t really pick up steam until his HHOF induction announcement. In his induction speech on Monday, Howe had this to say (transcript courtesy of Philly Sports Daily):
“In 1982, Ed Snider, Keith Allen and Bob McCammon brought me to Philadelphia. From the beginning, it was as if I was born to be a Flyer. And although I wanted to slash him a few times, I want to thank Mike Keenan for helping me to raise my bar. There were many character players who contributed so much to this day. Brian Propp, Dave Poulin, Hexy, Toch, Ronnie Sutter, Dave Brown and so many others. I want to give special thanks to my defense partners Glenn Cochrane, Kjell Samuelsson, and my dear friend Brad McCrimmon. The Orange and Black will be a part of me forever.”
According to hockey-reference.com, the #2 that represented one of the best defensemen in the League has since been worn in the Flyers organization exclusively by defensemen, including Dmitry Yushkevich, Kerry Huffman, Adam Burt, Brad Tiley, Eric Weinrich, Vladimir Malakhov, Derian Hatcher, Alexander Picard, and Lukas Krajicek. The number was previously worn by Flyers Bob Dailey and Eddie Van Impe.
Perhaps in hindsight, the organization wouldn’t have given out #2 to so many players since Howe’s departure. It was unlikely that they anticipated retiring the number of a player who never won a Stanley Cup in the orange and black, though, until enough time had passed where it now seemed like a glaring oversight as opposed to a lark.
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